Well, this was an interesting development. I hope that Parrot gets what he has coming to him.

_________________The best cymbal player ever has spoken.

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Sat Oct 27, 2012 2:06 pm

valerio

Game Master

Joined: Mon May 25, 2009 6:53 amPosts: 15353Location: Italy

Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

3.The Stellarium, Terrace High

In a way, it was ironic that his last moments at Terrace High would be spent here, of all places.Where he had sentenced an ally to death.Death brought by the same friend who was now busy telling him on the news, exposing his secrets, his plans…He hated karma!“You’ve fallen mute all of a sudden,” he said in a perfect feminine voice. “What you were saying?”The parrot sighed, before answering to himself with his own voce. “Why do you ask? You’re the one possessing me, Bora: just read my mind. I’m getting a sore throat.”Anyone passing by in that moment would have barely noticed that weird attitude. The interloper’s attention would’ve been, instead, drawn to the shadow projected by the sunset’s first red beams.The shadow of a hawk, not of a parrot, perching over the parapet.The shadow moved its beak, as it said, “Forgot to tell you: I can’t.”Even that piece of unexpected news, to a mind used to collect every bit of information to his own advantage, didn’t surprise Piper. “Oh,” he said with an almost distracted tone.“Apparently, possession doesn’t come with privacy violation. But I can still force you to stay alive, so don’t start thinking funny thoughts. Now, what were you saying?”Piper went back to watching the pets’ frolicking in the Hexagon Park. “I was saying that, well, it’s ironic: everyone thinks I’m just a huge jerk, when all I wanted was to help the other pets. But I guess I never was the best in PR.”“Effectively, you have a funny way to be helpful, love.”Piper sighed again. “Please, I’ll explain, but don’t interrupt me again. I really am getting a sore throat.”The shadow nodded in agreement.Piper went back to his tale. He had started talking about his best kept secret because at that point he was sure that the ghost of the hawk he had offed would discover everything… But now that his plans were history, what was the point?“I was born in the Bolivian jungle, but I was captured together with my family when I was a chick. To be sold to some rich guy, usual stuff.“I was lucky: my captors took good care of me, they wanted me to be in good shape to sell me at a hefty price. I was double lucky, to end up with a human with a knack for business, or so I thought then.“I was still very young and very curious. That human treated me with the bare minimum. After the fifth time he made me go ‘Piper wants a cracker’, he started ignoring me utterly: turns out I was to be his trophy pet to show he cared for animals. In fact, to prove that he was sincere, the idiot left me literally unattended. No cage for me, as long as I cleaned after myself and didn’t annoy him during his work.“Oh, and that was an easy promise to keep: Every day, I stood there, watching, listening…learning.” A sinister smile curved the Parrot’s beak. “I had learnt that humans cared for money more than everything or anybody else. And they are right: with money, one can do everything. There are no limits to one’s ambitions when there is a lot of money to fuel them.“But of course, as a parrot I couldn’t own money, that much was clear. My owner had a lot of books, and so did his relatives. When I wasn’t busy learning the ways of e-transactions, I was reading and reading. Luckily for me, that human’s relative had a lot of books about animal rights, and I was always allowed to his library during our visits. Visits during which I also learnt languages and improved my voice-copycat skills.“It wasn’t long, before I knew what I needed to try my greatest enterprise ever: to give animals their own country!”“My, you’re one ambitious birdbrain,” Bora said. “I’m glad I possessed you. I would’ve tried to lay your chicks, if I were alive.”“Boraa…”“Sorry, love. Please, go on.”Piper massaged his throat. “I knew how to get all the money I needed. Now it was a question of buying a human with men and weapons to enforce my vision. And so, after literally moving every cent of my dear owner to an offshore account, I bought a ticket back home. And I contacted one of the many drug gangs trying to make a name for themselves.”“So…the General..?” The shadow asked.This time, Piper wasn’t irritated by her interruption. In fact, he was proud as he said, with an evil sparkle in his eyes, “Just a puppet, a tag to instill respect in my human’s men. I was the General all along, every order came from me only, and no one else was supposed to know. Except for my puppet, of course.“And before you ask, yes, it was easy to convince him: after all,” Piper touched his skull with a wingtip, “every account data is still here and nowhere else. Killing me would’ve stopped the money flow… Although that didn’t stop the first ‘General’ to try and torture me into talking.” Piper used his wings to reveal the scar under the green chest plumage. “I spoke and gave him an account that I had left there to the benefit of the CIA. The Yankees appreciated. The General did not…for that little while he had left to live of course.“After that stunt, I nominated another puppet, and he proved himself a good addition. He is a fine counselor and he’s the only human I came to respect as equal. He understands me and wants to see the dream realized.”“So you came here to do just that?”Piper nodded. “Terrace High is like a big node. From here I can access pretty much to everything animal-related and conduct business at high speed. The Insurance agency my ‘Dad’ works for is a cover-up to wash drug money my puppet is doing.“When there will be enough money on my offshore accounts, so I planned, I would buy the place where my followers would live in peace, as reigning species, in a totally human-free zone.”“And where would be that Pete-forsaken place? A jungle? The North Pole? A Desert?”Piper puffed his chest like the alpha rooster as he answered, “An island, my dear!”“Well, that’s original. And what island?”Piper giggled –it was rare to hear him doing so, and it had definitely a creepy quality to it. “You don’t imagine, dear. Suffice to say, the idea came in a dream. It will be just the perfect sanctuary. Believe me when I say that, once my colony of free animals will be set, no human sane of mind will disturb us. Ever.” His giggle grew louder, louder, until it became a laug*”Irk!” the parrot massaged his throat. “Ahh, who am I kidding? All I’ve got is a sore throat, a ghost and shattered dreams. My ‘Dad’ will be arrested together with the rest of the agents any moment now, and the General will be left penniless.”“Couldn’t you go back to your former owner?” the shadow asked. Did Bora sound…concerned? “Nah. I left him pretty penniless. Even if he didn’t suspect me, he wouldn’t take care of me. No love lost there, believe me baby.”“Any…secret shelter? Any place in case things went bad?”Piper shook his head. “I invested it all in this plan: either I succeeded, or failed. Nothing in between. That’s why I didn’t tell anyone else but my puppet about my plan… That, and also because I am the only one who can live long enough to see the plan come to a fruition. Any other pet will be able to work for a handful of years only, before he or she grows too old. “But as it is, now I could go to Foster’s shelter. At least, my knowledge could be useful to someone, and they’d keep me fit, find me a new—“ he snapped out of those reveries with a vigorous shake of his head. “Say! Now you’re worried for me? I thought you hated me! Or are you scared that I will let myself die?”He sighed to himself. The shadow said, this time with the parrot’s original voice, “I am still upset for being dead. But…we are much alike, you and I. Honest, I like your plan: paving your good intentions with the pain of the others. But in the end you’re not such a jerk.”“So…” he asked with a prudent tone in that schizophrenic dialogue. “You like to stay with me?”“I still love you, I guess. So don’t push it, goofball. And to prove it, I’ll let you decide what to do. I’ll come I only when an emergency arises. You’re good, but you need the mind of a feral to do even better. What do you say?” He extended a wing.Piper squeezed it with the other. “It’s a deal…” Then he looked around and down to the park. “Say, why is still everything quiet? By now there should be feds everywhere looking for me.” Down in the park, everything was going on business as usual. Not a black suit walking around.Piper scratched his head. It made no sense.Unless—The familiar evil smile reappeared on his beak. “My dear, I think that someone may have made a sooo big mistake.”---Jameson House

“You know, I just thought I’d find you here, my friend,” Piper said, his sarcasm almost dripping as he flew into Macajuel’s room.The python was busy crunching his food down his throat. Piper landed on the perch. He made a face “Carnivores. So? Did you have a nice chat with the reporters?”Mac swallowed. “Yes I did, thank you. You should’ve seen her face: I was sure she would propose me right there and then.”The parrot raised an eyebrow. “So… She did believe you?”Macajuel nodded. “I brought proof enough with me.”Piper blinked. Surely the snake couldn’t be speaking of the organization’s files. Those were in the safe, and only Piper and ‘Dad’ knew the combination –and a snake couldn’t open it anyway.Then, realization struck.Mac hadn’t committed any mistake! It had been he, Piper, to have misjudged his strategy!“What did you think?” Mac said with an impish smile. “I would never sacrifice the organization. I just got rid of an expendable pawn… After all, I did tell you that Alandra must be mine.”---The Daily Facts offices

Guinevere Cardore had never been so terrified.Her initial exaltation had faded into a numbness caused by the unreality of her situation: she was going to run another risk, one that would send her out of Terrace High and out of any news-related job if she was wrong.If she was right, she was going to uncover a can of worm.The USB key laying on the desk looked like a small piece of plutonium. Little but enough to kill.Poor Alandra woud be devastated if she learnt that her Dad was connected to a Colombian drug cartel… That is, provided she was innocent, and not an excellent actress.At this point, Guinevere didn’t know what to think.If she was right, heck the consequences: Red Carpet to the Pulitzer, here I come!The woman leaned her elbows on the desk top and buried her face in her hands. “And I’m doing it again, nice job!”This time she couldn’t let herself play the glory-hog! Last time she had done so she had ended up becoming Harold Jagermaister III’s errand-girl. Harold! The last human being worth of looking at a newspaper, imagine working for one!No, no, no! This time she’d play it safe, she’d test the ground very thoroughly before bringing the gold to Boss Cox.She needed Frits’ help!

HOUSEPETS! THE SERIESSEASON IIIEPISODE 19FIN

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Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:24 pm

kavviyenta

Joined: Fri Sep 23, 2011 3:01 pmPosts: 250Location: close to DC

Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

That was quite a shock...heck, that IS a shock. I wonder how this season will conclude?

I know I said that before but how will Gaunt be in the last eppy? He hadn't been seen since episode 4. I assume he'll visit his husky mother at the LCG where something will happen when Volant finally get Elpis's email.

“What are you two doing?! I thought we were going to the shelter! We should already be there! You two a-are the most uncaring humans I ever had the disgrace to live with! My poor Mama is so going to suffer for your laziness!”Portrait of an anguished stoat: Usually, Gaunt was a quiet pet, quite the opposite of a small-sized mustelid. In fact, he had spent almost all these first months at Terrace High under the radar, content to read his books and listen to his music. His owners had almost celebrated with a party those few occasions in which Gaunt had joined his peers for the Love for Life Club’s activities. Ok...he had been literally dragged out of his room, but at least he hadn’t tried to escape back home.Other than that, again, Gaunt Oakfield was more known among his peers as ‘Gaunt Whokfield?’Right now his owners so wished he’d play invisible!“We are here,” Mira Oakfield grunted from under the sheets of her bed. “sleeping, as all civilized beings do at 6am, Gaunt.”“Not true! You’re answering!”“And we had a long turn yesterday night at the Vet’s,” Stevie Oakfield moaned from his. Despite having the option of his own room, he and his sister had never parted since childhood. “Bad food at the Club. Gaunt, please.”The black-furred stoat grabbed the sheets of Mira’s bed, instead, and started pulling them back. Despite the woman’s attempts to resist, he was winning it. “*Nnngghh*Mama is there all alone, weeping out her heart, waiting for us. I miss Mama and you should too—Ack!” Gaunt managed to pull back the sheets all the way, and they ended up rolling like a Spring Roll. A moment later, Gaunt’s head emerged from the roll. “Plus, the Lucky Charm Grove gets 24/7 visit time! So get up and let’s go!”“Gaunt!” Mira screamed, trying to cover her modesty –though she was still convinced this was a nightmare. “We are naked!”“So am I, so what? Come on, I already got everything ready, including pack lunch!” Gaunt crawled out the sheets roll and left the room.Stevie sat up, rubbed his eyes. “Do you think we could leave him with Stefanie, dear? I don’t think he’d mind.”Mira took the bathrobe and put it on. While tying the belt she said, “Much as I’m tempted to, the judge wouldn’t see it as sign of goodwill.”“Crap.”Both humans went to the bathroom. “Are you excited?” Stevie asked his sister.She turned on the shower. It was warm in a few seconds. “You can say that again. Today, judge York should decide on our appeal. I’m sure it will be fine. But the truth is, right now I care only to see our Stef. God, I so miss her. And I get the shower, you shave. A male shouldn’t grow so much beard in one night.”As she walked into the stall, Stevie went to the sink. “Don’t mock my genes, woman. Wait till beard will be back on fashion.” He turned on the hot water and took razor and shaving foam.As per restricting orders, before seeing their dog again, the Oakfields were supposed to prove they had gotten a steady job and an income that would suffice to Stefanie’s needs as well. Normally, it would’ve been tough, for they were a homeless couple, always on the run, jumping from poor job to poor job, with long periods of unemployment in between. That was why Stefanie was put into custody at the LCG –and she had gotten the best deal, by then. Even if her parents would’ve lost her for good, namely had she been given in adoption to someone else, she would’ve been better than with them.Instead, someone at the Top Floor must have heard them for once, and gave them the winning ticket of Terrace High’s lottery –which included an apartment and a job!Their fortunes turned downside up, the Oakfields had written a plea to Judge Elizabeth York, hoping that she’d deliberate in their favor –give or take the times of bureaucracy--“You two!” Gaunt said from the door, snapping them back into the present. “Water and soap are supposed to be used, you kn—“ he was knocked down by a soap bar launched at full speed. “I think I’ll check in later.” The stoat conceded from the pavement.They rang at the door. “I’ll get it,” Gaunt said. At this point, he’d be glad if it was that weird otter –he really needed some distraction from his growing anxiety. Due to some old, obsolete, ridiculous human law his Mama couldn’t even send a napkin-letter from the shelter and back! ‘Psychological Quarantine’ or something, bah!They rang again. “Chill, man! We’re not running away!” One good thing about this place was that everyone could be trusted… Well, Macajuel and Piper excluded. Gaunt opened the door without having to check. “So, what’s the hurry at this hour, stran—Oh.”“Hi,” a female Maine Coon said, her tail swishing slowly. “Edna told me you guys were awake.”“Hi to you, Club President.”“I also come with a name, you know?” the cat giggled.Gaunt, to his credit, tried to remember it, but much to his embarrassment his lack of social skills was paying off with a vengeance. He blushed as he stuttered monosyllables. “Err, uh, o-of course I r-remember it! But you’re the President and I p-prefer to call you—““Tegan,” she said, her paws pointing at her chest. “And this handsome guy next to me is my boyfriend Elliot.” She pointed at the Golden Retriever standing at her left.Gaunt started. “Ack! Where did you come from?!”“Err, I was always here?”Gaunt facepawlmed. “Nevermind. Just come in before someone else comes and starts making more jokes about me. And don’t you say they don’t, President.”“If that’s of any consolation, little guy,” Elliot said, as they walked into the apartment and the door hissed closed, “we all make jokes pretty much about each other.”“It’s not of consolation. I only like to mind my own business, what’s wrong with that?”Elliot went to the kitchen. “Nothing that can’t be cured—Oooh, cookies!” They heard him rummaging before the dog came out with a box of White Oreos. He was munching happily one. “Even Kwesi wasn’t exactly the most social of pets, you know.”Gaunt sagged. “I have the sensation that you guys won’t leave me alone until I start being a socialite, right?”Elliot nodded and waved a half-biscuit as he made his point. “Though I don’t really agree with her – I mean, I am more the ‘live and let live’ kind of guy – I also fear her claws enough to obey her. And when she wants to help someone out, she will help someone out.”Tegan flashed him the death-ray eyes. “You know you’re gonna pay for this when we’re home, do you?”Elliot finished his cookie, took another and sniffed it voluptuously. “Not in front of the cookies, dear.”Gaunt sighed. “Apart from being generally weird, may I know why did you come here at this hour? Did you plan another war? Water balloons, this time?”“Oh, no,” Tegan answered. “Well, yes, in the sense that we’re going to invite you to participate to our First Great WBW… But we came because we learnt that you were going to the Shelter.”“So you want a ride?”Tegan nodded. “Yup. We wanted to visit Volant, so why not take the opportunity to know better each other?”Gaunt rolled his eyes. “Guys! It’s not going to be a hours-long drive, even if my grands are obsessed with respecting the speed limits! What could we be talking about?!”“Granps?” both cat and dog said, blinking.The stoat scoffed, his arms crossed proudly. “Hmph, of course! Since my Mama is Stefanie, that makes the human my grandparents.”“Stefanie?” both cat and dog said, blinking.Gaunt facepawlmed with both paws. “Yes, Stefanie! A Siberian Husky! She used to be family before the humans took her in custody cuz my granps were penniless and jobless!”Tegan clapped her paws happily. “See?! We have a lot to talk about!”Gaunt groaned.---Cardore House, Apt.111, Lev.11

There was one thing that frustrated Guinevere Cardore more than a night spent without sleeping, a night spent drinking up coffee as if it was tap water, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Wondering if she had the right to ruin a man’s life in the name of justice, thus sending an innocent pet to the shelter. A night spent elaborating plans to make sure that she was doing the right thing before going to the press.The thing that frustrated Guinevere more than all of that was the sudden knowledge that it had been all for nothing! And it didn’t matter that a part of her was relieved: right at that moment, Guinevere Cardore was a reporter whose career was again at a stall!All because of the man sitting in front of her –and it wasn’t just ironic, that it was the same man who had helped start her career here at Terrace High?At least, that knowledge, combined with her frustration, helped her to get rid of all professional prudence and ask with dripping sarcasm, “Again, Herr Gottschalk, what does it mean that my article must be kept on hold?” She knew that Raimund Radulph Gottschalk detested being addressed with the mock German title, as his grandfather had been an important supporter of the Nazi hierarchies. But, again, she wasn’t really thinking clearly. Heck, she was ready to become Harold Jagermeister III’s rug if it helped her win the right to publish what she had learnt and heck with the consequences frick frick frick!The tall man didn’t even flinch. His deep blue, almost black, eyes, dug into her soul as he answered, “Miss Cardore, hector Garcia is just a pawn. He’s only supposed to pass instructions between his contact and that contact’s superiors. He is of no strategic importance, his arrest would only tear a family apart. Your source overestimated Hector Garcia’s importance, it’s that simple.”“Pawn or not, that man works for a criminal cartel,” she hissed. “I don’t care if you and CIA are working together, he’s a criminal and people should be aware that—““That he’s paying off the debt that kept his beloved daughter alive all these years.” And this time, there was the hint of an emotion in his voice. Compassion for his resident, scorn for Guinevere, all mixed up in something that for the first time that evening was like the touch of his in her mind.Guinevere wasn’t sure that head-butting the man wasn’t a good idea anymore.“Tell me, Ms. Cardore, did you know that Alandra Garcia suffered from a chronic condition since she was a kitten?”Guinevere nodded, knowing where this was going. Knowing she had done it again, let her egocentrism forget the details of an investigation!Perhaps she was worthy only to work under Harold Jagermeister III at all…“Mr. Garcia couldn’t pay her treatment with his meager jobs. So he stroke a deal with the cartels. Worked on small tasks, nothing that would require eliminating a human being or an animal, but at least he could keep helping Alandra. At the same time, he gathered enough information to plan a bank robbery so that he could start a new life, away from his ‘employers’. And that’s where fate gave him the occasion to start a new life in an entirely different way. I’m sorry for not divulging more about that, but it’s covered by the National Security Act.”Yes, Guinevere thought. She was an idiot: of course Hector Garcia couldn’t have raised such a sick kitten into adulthood without help, especially if he wasn’t born of a rich family…So why had she jumped to conclusions, ready to taste blood like a famished shark, just like she had done for Joel Zechariah Robinson-Foster?She knew the answer to that too, and it disgusted her.Vengeance.Against her father!

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Last edited by valerio on Wed Nov 07, 2012 2:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Tue Nov 06, 2012 1:45 am

valerio

Game Master

Joined: Mon May 25, 2009 6:53 amPosts: 15353Location: Italy

Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

so, as usual with the season's finale, this is gonna longer than originally planned. This means i can update until (MYSTERIOUSSECRETAHEAD) well, you'll know.

JeffCvt is a copyright of jeffcvt inc. and not to be reproduced without the express written consent of CBS and jeff cvt.

Tue Nov 06, 2012 12:03 pm

valerio

Game Master

Joined: Mon May 25, 2009 6:53 amPosts: 15353Location: Italy

Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

JeffCvt wrote:

AHHH!!I can't wait!! Update again right now!

Do you hear me!? NOW!

*starts writing* forgive me, master! Igor update soon!

_________________

Tue Nov 06, 2012 2:34 pm

valerio

Game Master

Joined: Mon May 25, 2009 6:53 amPosts: 15353Location: Italy

Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

2.Frank Anthony Cardore.A bank broker, a man who had worked hard all his life in that same bank to reach a position even more important than of Director. A Bank Director was mainly about PR, meetings, signing contracts, striking deals, trying to keep his hands as clean as possible.A good broker was like a man with the strongest faith: he moved mountains…or rather, the immense river flows of money that ran between the mountains.F.A. Cardore had never spoiled his daughter nor his wife. He knew the value of money, he had never taken it for granted. Guinevere had learnt to be penny-wise starting with her very first allowance.Old story, already seen, but still it hurt – a lot – when she discovered, at the age of 17, that the man she thought she knew was just another crook. Not only he had gotten rich thanks to a multiple Ponzi scheme, but he had done everything a cheating husband and a lying father could do with his money. Turned out his was a ‘trophy family’ to show around, and when his plans were busted nothing was left for his wife and his daughter.Of that long, difficult period after the end of her old life, Guinevere remembered clearly the nights spent reading the articles by the female reporter who had uncovered her father’s scams.Guinevere also remembered how her mother loathed that woman, calling her names that even a teenager didn’t think one should use.Guinevere never told her how much she admired that woman. While Frank Cardore had worked night and day to make the worst of his business and ruin people’s lives, Angelina Laterza had worked to help those people. And she had succeeded. All the king’s money couldn’t put his life together, in the end.The only one good thing Frank A. Cardore had done for his daughter was to leave her an offshore fund. Guinevere had used it to build a life and a career in the job that could make a difference more than any weapon!But she was still haunted by the presence of her father. He was still rotting somewhere in jail, but she kept fighting against him.With the result of losing. And keeping her job to a stall.Like with her latest investigation.She was ready to make mincemeat out of Hector Garcia for doing some infiltrate job here at Terrace High, blatantly ignoring that Hector was a pawn. Even worse, that he had been the errand boy for a drug criminal cartel because otherwise Alandra would’ve been dead for a long time due to a chronic kidney illness…“Ms. Cardore?”The quiet voice of the man sitting in front of her shook her back to her present predicament. To her new failure. “Yes, Mr. Gottschalk?”The tall man, owner and administrator of Terrace High, regarded her with…a smile? Suddenly she was thinking about her grandfather, the only man in her life who had tried to help her out during the days of shame caused by her father… “Ms. Cardore, don’t beat yourself over this, please. I know you weren’t acting with ill will.”The woman sighed. “Does it make a difference? A reporter is supposed—““To be passionate, determined, aggressive,” the man finished for her. “Lacking those qualities, you’d be working on lesser cases for the rest of your life, if you’re lucky. That’s why you were not fired for your mistakes, so far: Mr. Cox believes you can learn from them. So tell me,” He leaned forward, and this time she thought of some raptor ready to strike… “have you leant something, this time?”Guinevere didn’t lie as she nodded.Raimund R. Gottschalk stood up. “Excellent. In this case, please hand me that USB key. Assuming that all of the original recording of that interview with Mr. Macajuel Jameson are there. And that there are no copies of it hanging around.”Guinevere went to her study and came back a moment later with two devices. “You know that one is never enough in this job,” she said, matter-of-factly, then placed them into one long hand. “What, now?”Gottschalk put the keys into a pocket. “Now you are going to be rewarded.”“Uh?”“CIA’s operations are nearing completion. Arrests are going to be made, but again nothing will be really happening here: Terrace High was supposed to be their money-washing center, that’s all. The only two members with relevant information are Piper and Macajuel. And you, Ms. Cardore, will be given as much access as possible to cover this piece of news, on the promise that Hector Garcia and Herbert Jameson will not be involved. What do you say?”It was part of the job to live a rollercoaster life: a good reporter had to be prepared for any given surprise.Guinevere Cardore had had just been given her Christmas Present wrapped in an Easter Egg for Thanksgiving falling on her Birthday! Considering she had been contemplating yet another professional demise, this was also like the golden pot at the end of the rainbow.“I love you,” she whispered to him, believing every word of it. Then, much to her distress, she had to ask, “Why? Why me of all people?”Gottschalk nodded. “Because you deserve it. You love this place, you believe in animal rights, you can give this report the perfect balance between truth and compassion.”She was about to ask him what did he mean. How animal rights could be involved in this matter?Gottschalk turned and went to the door. “Your job is to discover and report truth, Ms. Cardore. Mine is to know things. Just be patient a little more, and you’ll have your reward. Have a nice day.” He stopped on the threshold. As if remembering it at the last minute, he added, “Oh, and of course this conversation never took place.”---Jameson house, Apt. 192

Piper snapped awake. He shivered and ruffled up his feathers.“Something wrong?” he asked to no one in particular, using a deep, female voice.The parrot looked around, rubbing his temple. “Aside from the headache you give me every time you speak… Well, I feel as if an angel just walked over my graveyard. Did you do some ghost trick on me, babe?”“No. Do you think something bad is about to happen? When my mind used to scream alarm, it meant there was danger ahead.”Piper ate some crumbled biscuit with dry fruit. “The only known danger is that stupid reporter of the Daily Facts. I wonder what she’s doing: by now her online newspaper should have published everything they know about Hector Garcia, much to that silly serpent’s delight. Instead…” Instead, silence.Now that Piper had rested, his mind was working sharp as usual. He was connecting what first shock, then anger, then relief – and being possessed by the ghost of his former ‘friend’ – had caused him to miss.If no one had taken measures against Hector Garcia, it meant that if someone was doing a cover-up.A cover-up for another operation.An operation that the human’s arrest would upset.Bigger operation.If a parrot could sweat, Piper would be drenched. “They’re going to get us, after all. Oh, beak!!”“Are you sure?” he asked himself with the female voice of Bora.“As honest fools pay taxes. I must get away from here!” Without thinking twice, he left his perch and flew toward the door—and slammed into it! “Owie!”After sliding down to the pavement, the macaw rubbed his beak. “What the..?” he said, looking at the automatic door. “Alfred, open the door. Now!”“Sorry goofball,” said another voice, instead. “But I am afraid that your comfy room is going to be your cell that is until the law gets their hands on you.”“You!” Pier gnashed his beak. “You traitor! Y-you were a double agent then!”“What can I say? Guilty Your Dishonor.”***The Pentagon Underground Facility Park, The Kingpin. March.

William was bored.The park was okay, it was illuminated, it had trees like up at home…but the air had a metallic taste in it, and for how good a job the conditioning was doing, the smells were accumulating.The squirrel knew he’d get used to it. At least, no one so far had lamented the quality of the atmosphere, so he’d refrain from giving a bad example. He wished he could hibernate. He’d spend some time away from this nightmare, lost in the sweet, sleep-induced oblivion.Laying on a thick branch, William sighed. Yeah, dream on. There was no winter down here, and the food was abundant. Perhaps he could move inside the building, make himself a nest there and hibernate far from any food –except what he would previously stock, of course… Hm?At first, the words he was hearing were to him like a background noise, nothing to worry about.Then he heard the two interlocutors saying strange things.“…I say we should still stick to the plan.”“The General would approve, yes.”General? What General? There are no military down here.“But what about the other team?”“Ah, nevermind them for now. They will hop on the wagon once they see it’s moving: there are weapons down here, weapons and anything else we need to start our mission. La revoluciòn starts here.”“When should we act?”“Let’s just wait. Right now, we would cause panic. And security is too tight, especially now that that stupid cat is missing. One single accident and all hell breaks loose.”Conspirators?! Here?! Oh dear what do I do what do I do?? William almost didn’t dare to breath. He was just happy, oh so happy that the artificial currents were upwards only. If they smelled him out, he would be a snack in no time!He knew he should turn and take a good look, but he too could smell them, and as a prey species he did have an acute hearing. If asked to testify, he could tell at least one of them anytime just as he could recognize them now.He just wondered if he wasn’t hallucinating.Because he knew those voices belonged to Piper and Tobee!***The screen lit up and the face of the minipinscher appeared. “I am honored that you chose me or rather my tech-wise to infiltrate the security of Terrace High. If I were on your side you’d have done great things. As it is I also collected enough stuff to frame your precious organization. What little you earned in terms of advantage has been let’s say compensated by one loss: yours. Cookie?” he asked, handing out a chocolate chips cookie.An ashtray hit the screen, tearing it into a shower of plastic, glass and electronics. Curses which weren’t heard since Adam was kicked out of Eden filled the air, making it tremble.“What happened?” asked a voice from behind the closed door of Macajuel’s room. It was barely audible, which meant the python was screaming his lungs out.

“What’s happening??” Mac asked again. He slammed against the door, to no effect. “Piper! I demand to know—Eep!”A shadow had slithered from under the door. A black shadow with angry yellow eyes and the shape of a hawk! “It happened that it’s over you slithering idiot!” Bora screamed. The shadow retreated into the door a moment later.Then came Piper’s voice. It had a sad quality, resigned, something that Macajuel had never heard in his old friend. “Poltergeist aside, Mac, we’ve been framed. We’re going to be arrested and impounded and the organization dismantled. I don’t think it was your fault, if that’s of consolation, but it’s likely you’ll never see Alandra again.” A pause. “I’m sorry for you ol’ chap. Weird as it was your interest, you didn’t deserve this.” Another pause, longer.

“With some luck, the puppet will have time to hide with the money I left to compensate the good work. I’m sorry, Mac.”The door to the apartment opened. Four feds in black and two security dogs walked in, without barging, without shouting orders. They knew that Piper was intelligent enough to know that the whole building was an inescapable prison…---Gottschalk House/Terrace High Administration offices, Apt.500

“So, does this mean that I can go back to my job now?” William asked, sighing with relief at the sight of the arrest of the two exotic pets.R.R. Gottschalk nodded. “Tomorrow you’ll be back into your butler uniform. Thank you for your patience, William. I am sorry for causing you any discomfort in relegating you here but, again, secrecy had to be kept.”The squirrel nodded –and oh, yes, this creepy human knew how to scratch someone’s back! “MmmMM! I mean, Sir, I am happy enough to see those two going away for good. It may be full of cats down there, but at least none of them wanted me as snack.”Gottschalk smiled. “Good point. Since you’re so eager to go back to your job, I have one fit just for you: a new resident and her pet are going to live here. I need your expertise and kindness to show them around.”William scratched his head. “Oh. And who would that lucky one be? I mean, is she going to occupy the 192?”The human shook his head in that slow fashion of his. “Oh, no. Mr. Jameson was another uninformed pawn. He had been paid to keep those Piper and Macajuel as legitimate pets, but he never worked for the cartel. He’ll have to find new pets by his own this time.”William wasn’t less puzzled. “But, Sir, who is going to be this new resident? All apartments are occupied.”“She’s going to come live here, at my quarters.”“Oh. Your wife?”“My daughter.”

one little question, is "Turned out his was a ‘trophy family’ to show around" written as intended? I got kinda confussed by that.

_________________A moment of enlightenment...and it's gone

Wed Nov 07, 2012 12:52 pm

valerio

Game Master

Joined: Mon May 25, 2009 6:53 amPosts: 15353Location: Italy

Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

'Trophy wife' is the pretty, but generally unrelevant wife a man uses as a status symbol. A sexist custom of the rich people.In this case, 'trophy family' is the perfect model you show around to let others see you are into the traditional WASP valors.

_________________I'm a shape-shifter. I'm currently in whatever form I feel likeParadigm Shift by meI do not actually believe any of what I'm saying.RP character sheets

Wed Nov 07, 2012 6:15 pm

valerio

Game Master

Joined: Mon May 25, 2009 6:53 amPosts: 15353Location: Italy

Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

3.Fenton Woods Road, between Terrace High and Babylon Gardens

“Say that again? No, yes, I know you said it already, but say that again, Errol!” Tegan listened intently with her phone pressed so hard against her ear, one could think she was trying to crush it.“Holy kibble,” she said when Errol was finished. “Elliot, Gaunt and I will be back in a few hours. We just left for the Lucky Charm. With some luck I guess we’ll meet them there… Yes, in case we’ll inform you immediately. And spread the word: everyone ready for an emergency session of the Club. Mandatory. And thanks, Errol.” The cat flipped the phone closed before inserting it back into her collar.Her eyes went to the other occupants of the passengers backseats, while Stevie and Mira Oakfield were sitting in the front of the van.“What?” Elliot asked, while Gaunt was busy with an e-book reader and showing no sign of being interested at all. “What happened?” the dog repeated.Tegan looked as if she couldn’t believe what she was saying, herself. “Macajuel and Piper have been arrested. On ground of working for a drug cartel.”“WHAT?!” Here, even Gaunt joined the incredulous collective chorus.Tegan nodded. “Just a few minutes ago. News came from Frits. His mom is working on the case. Federals came and took them away. I mean, Mac and Piper.”“WHAT?!”“Yes, I too can hardly believe it. I mean… Gaunt, what are you doing with that thing?! How can a book be more interesting than—““Not book,” he said in a sharp tone, as his paws ran over the touchscreen. “Internet.” “Oh.”“Get update, kitty. Now, let’s see if the Daily Facts is online with the news already… Ah!”“On it,” Myra said from her seat, scrolling down her phone screen. “Holy… As of now it’s only a big red title, but it is there. I’ll bet the hits are gonna skyrocket.”Tegan nodded as she read the B&W screen. Apparently, their Dad wasn’t involved, though he had been of course put in temporary custody for interrogation. Tegan didn’t know what to say, no one aboard the van knew what to say –talk about curveball outta nowhere!“Do you think the feds will bring them to the shelter?” Elliot asked, at last.“They should,” Mira answered. “Since animals are not considered legally valid witnesses, they won’t go under witness protection program like a human… But after all, I never heard of an animal ‘directly involved’ in criminal activities. This sounds like big time mess.”“Lawyers will go crazy over this,” Stevie said, a grim expression crossing his face. “I hope this won’t ruin Mrs. Lundberg’s campaign.”“Why should it?” Gaunt asked, his e-book forgotten.“Because that woman is the best advocate of pet rights you could find in the world of politics. She was very explicit on this: should she become Mayor, she will extended several rights to pets and ferals. Full citizenship for pets will be one of them: even if confined to the city, that right alone will open a world of consequences. River Ridge will be the first city in this country to have animals with the right to be witnesses, to inherit without a legal tutor, to participate in the decisions regarding their welfare…”“Why do you make it sound as if it was a bad thing?” Tegan asked, suspiciously.The man blushed heavily. “Heh, sorry. I mean, I would be all too happy to vote for her –in fact, Mira and I will vote for her, since we fall into the city’s jurisdiction. But we must also admit that her success will be followed by a long period of adjustment. Things will not be smooth.”“But change is never smooth,” Tegan said. “Especially on such…important things.”“Yes,” Mira said. “There’s a lot of hard work ahead of us, and I’m sure Mr. Gottschalk has already endorsed her and is working behind the scenes to put her in the office.”“Is that only a sensation,” Gaunt asked, “or do you two know something we don’t?”Stevie nodded. “Considering he got into a partnership with Martin Foster and the Milton ferrets, and that all of them have started programs related to support animal rights, schooling, social interactions, social recovery… It’s hard to believe they are not aiming for something bigger than just philanthropy.“The Miltons want to carry on the legacy of Henry Milton, another powerful advocate of animal rights. Babylon Gardens was born on that premise. Martin Foster’s shelter is the closest thing to a free luxury college for abandoned animals. And Gottschalk’s Terrace High is the archetype of a pet-friendly condominium.“Gabriella Lundberg is the last piece: the official political connection. In fact, it’s no mystery that Greene & Verde are her lawyers. Believe me, little guy: as we speak, that woman is being showered with enough cash to buy a small nation.”“But today’s events may interfere with the plan,” Tegan reminded the human.“Correct. Already it’s hard to pass the idea that ferals can be reformed, but if you throw into the equation that even pets can’t be trusted, it will take a lot more work even if she won. And you know how politics go: any constructive proposal from Lundberg could be filibustered until the end of her Term.”“Not that I like to speak against my ‘peers’,” Elliot intervened. “But there have been and there are cases of animal attacks even within the family environment. That doesn’t prevent humans from adopting one or more. Right?”The van approached a curve. Stevie said, “So far, ‘criminal cartel activity’ was not associated to pets, for what I know. The gang that kidnapped you guys was made of ferals. We’re talking another level of—ACK!” just as the van passed the curve, it bumped into something. Stevie cursed. “But what the—““STEVIE, STOP THE VAN!” Myra shouted, scared as she had never been before, while her shock-wide eyes were glued to the rearview mirror. Her brother floored the brake, giving everyone inside a mighty squeeze of their safety belts. Tegan was sure her ribs cracked then.It was at that moment that Stevie looked at the mirror, too.And saw the big gray-furred shape lying in a red pool in the middle of the road.---Detention Ward, Sub-Level 1, Terrace High

“Again, Ms. Verde, the prisoners are not clients, and cannot be. So you cannot talk to them as if you’d do with a human. If you insist, though, I may do you a favor, but since they have no legal rights to privacy—““Spare me!” Melissa Verde scoffed at the man in the black suit. She had drunk five battle cups of coffee before coming down there and was in full tiger mom mode. “I am not here to represent Macajuel and Piper against the United States: they are still my client’s pets and I am in the full right—“ She was interrupted by a thickly printed paper sheet almost slammed in front of her face.The man was definitely taking some pleasure in showing her the form. “You have the right not to embarrass yourself, ma’am. This is a waiver, which clearly states that your ‘client’ renounces the ownership of our prisoners. They belong to the US now and we are free to do pretty much what we want with them…without abusing them of course,” he added with a complacent smile, his tone making it clear what the fate of the python and the parrot would become.Melissa took the paper and read it with a murderous scowl. When she handed it back, she looked as if she wanted to eat the man. In one mouthful. “And how do I know you didn’t force my client to sign it? My colleague is meeting a certain reluctance from your colleagues to let him talk to us.”The scene had a bizarre quality to it: the woman looked like an upset Oliver Twist demanding for more soup or else!, and the man was enjoying being the king of the hill.A king who, lost in his self-confidence, wasn’t taking notice of the male Boxer standing in front of the cell’s Plexiglas door –or, rather, he couldn’t care less about his presence. The cell was soundproof, the creature was being a good doggie and was collarless so that he couldn’t even scribble a note. Plus, the agent was supposed to watch out for the humans…“Ma’am,” the agent said, again with that tone that meant, ‘take a broom, stick it up yourself and start cleaning the pavement!’, “You and your client will be allowed to meet your clients, their beats, even the effing Big Boss of All Narcos if you want. After we are done with them. The bea—animals will be sent to the LCG shelter, Mr. Jameson will become competence of your jurisdiction. Now, if you wish to waste all day bickering like a—““Don’t go there or I’ll feed your barely existent masculinity to the zoo ‘gators. For a start.”And something in Melissa’s voice made his mouth snap shut.The woman nodded. “Better.” She turned to leave. She let out a sharp whistle to draw the dog’s attention. The animal ran to her and accompanied her out of the ward. “Tell Uncle Sam that if I see a scale or a feather out of place, I’ll enjoy making a fuss.”“I will inform Him, ma’am.” Empty threats from a defeated lawyer, the man could tell by now.---“OmydogOmydogOmydogOmydog!” Stevie felt as if a cosmic butcher was turning his organs inside out and making sushi out of them. He had run over a wolf! He had possibly killed the creature. HIM! He, who had always been so careful as not to hurt butterflies whenever he could. Heck, he and Mira were reluctant to kill flies, they respected every single ring of the food chain! Except for mosquitos, they really hated mosquitos and all the maladies they brought with themselves—The man knew he was ranting when he kneeled down in front of the immobile shape, praying that it was only the shock and not death that was making the wolf immobile—“Stevie!” his sister’s voice snapped him out of the trance. It worked miracles, Mira was the stronger one of them.Not wolf.Log.A carefully carved log, painted and shaped to roughly look like a bleeding wolf. Good enough to trick the eye of a shocked driver.“…the frick?” the man muttered, scratching his head, still not realizing.Not until he felt the voice – or rather, the growl – behind him, followed by the prickle of a sharp object. “Get up, human. Slowly.”Stevie went rigid for a moment, but then obeyed. And, turning, he saw Mira and the pets surrounded by a pack of spear-carrying wolves.“Boo.” The female in front of him said.---Parking Lot, Terrace High

Face it, when you work against the system, security measures are no longer your cool best friends.Melissa Verde knew that, by stepping into her car, she was certifying to the highest authorities that something sneaky was going on. The feds knew that she knew, and were likely to hurry up with their question time at the expenses of the Jameson family…or whoever they really were.As she and the dog closed the door, the man who was sitting in the passenger seat said, “Do we have to keep the conditioning at these level for much longer? I feel as if I was sitting inside a freezer!”Melissa shivered and rubbed her hands, her breath forming clouds that clouded the already dark glasses. “In case they were using infrareds, I told you already.”“Mikes?”“Not aboard the car. Not aboard any car: Gottschalk would cut his hands off rather than violating our personal space at this level. We agreed on living inside a giant sensor net, but you know better than me that clothes, private cars and items are off-limits. And Gottschalk is powerful enough to tell the Feds to get friggin’ if they pushed him. As long as we use this, we’re safe.” She produced a flexible keyboard from her suitcase and connected it to the dashboard. A moment later, they started softly tapping their dialogues.- How did it go, Butch? – Daniel Greene Warreck asked- Good. I think. Even if they saw me sign-talking to them they couldn’t have realized in time that I was sign-talking in Spanish. Piper didn’t tell me much, though. He only left me bank coordinates and instructions to be carried to the one he calls his ‘puppet’.- Must be his front man – Melissa typed.- No. – the mute dog typed. – Not exactly.-When the founding members of Greene & Verde saw the name, they almost had a fit—though they surely had one when someone rapped at the window.“AAAAH!” the humans screamed- AAAAH! – Butch typed.

The car’s door opened a moment later. “May we help you? Sir?” Melissa asked as the cold air drifted out the car like liquid fog. She was forcing herself not to chatter like a maracas.The fed who had played boss with her at the detention ward didn’t look pleased at all. “May we inspect your car? Ma’am?”“But of course.” Melissa got out, as did so her friend and his dog. “Just don’t try and wire it if you can.”The man grunted as he and two colleagues started browsing the car and checking the board computer. They wouldn’t find anything, the software was customized to clear any trace of what had been told without even saving it to disk.Melissa and Warrick exchanged a very, very perplexed look.Because if what Piper had told Butch was true, and there was no reason for now to suspect otherwise, things were much, much more interesting than they had foreseen. And the implications may be staggering…

_________________

Last edited by valerio on Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Thu Nov 08, 2012 2:51 am

valerio

Game Master

Joined: Mon May 25, 2009 6:53 amPosts: 15353Location: Italy

Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

4.Fenton Woods Road…well, more the woods than the road…

“Now hol’ still, boy…like this.” The male wolf kept wrapping rope around the man’s wrists, after securing his legs. It would’ve looked even cute, with the beast’s tongue tip just sticking out in concentration as he worked. When the animal was done, he patted the Stevie’s shoulder. “Good human.”The man’s eyes went to his sister, their pet Gaunt, to Elliot and Tegan –the dog/cat couple being unlucky enough to end up kidnapped (again!) the day they all were going to the Lucky Charm Grove to visit their friends.And it wasn’t even Monday!A sudden clanking noise drew his attention to an even sadder spectacle: his van, being quickly torn apart by a pack of a dozen wolves. The wheels had disappeared already, and so the doors. The engine was laying on the ground, pieces scattered here and there as oil-stained canids were disassembling it. The seats, too, were just a memory by now.“They are fast, I must concede that,” Gaunt said. Like every other living being of that group, he was thoroughly bound. “Hey!” he snapped at two cubs examining a certain object with a deceivingly cute intensity. “Just drop that! It’s my e-book reader! I got a ton of stuff uploaded in there, you hear me you little Genghis Kahns?!”One of the cubs turned. Like the adults he too carried a spear. “I don’t have a name yet! And I don’t like what you said!”“And yer a lier!” said the other, tapping the touchscreen with a claw. Gaunt heard the poor thing screaming and he felt like crying. “This thingie doesn’t weigh a ton!”“Come fight with a real male, you-you…” Elliot was beside himself with rage, flexing his muscles to try and break the ropes. Despite it being the worst moment to think so, Tegan found her boyfriend incredibly attractive with his bravado. “What? Are you afraid of a dog?!”A female approached him. Piercing emerald eyes, fur of an immaculate white from tip to tail. Her immense build, her body language, her smell, her voice, everything a canine could read in her told one thing to Elliot: Alpha. Which, in the world of ferals, meant ‘you’re toast!’.The she-wolf squatted in front of the retriever. “Was that your best attempt to be offensive?” she asked in a smooth voice, caressing his chin slowly, almost…seductively?Elliot blushed “Guh, well…” he stammered. Tegan sighed, inwardly. Males!The she-wolf ruffled the dog’s head fur. She even smiled like a tender mother. “How cute! He thinks he’s got a sharp tongue, ain’t that cute guys?”The other wolves stopped what they were doing and chuckled with their boss.All of a sudden, the giggle left room to a snarling monster! Elliot was sure he had never seen so many sharp teeth in a single row!He also thought he had just wet himself.“Try again, pup!” Alpha growled with the most un-feminine voice. “We’ve been insulted, wounded, attacked, hunted down in all the ways human mind could conceive!” “And so you’re going to exact due revenge?” Mira asked. She and her brother had met many ferals during their life, knew that many would just find pleasure in torturing a weak adversary. This she-wolf didn’t seem to make exception. “Or are you going to hold us for ransom? Hm?”Back was the loving female, all smiles and honey. While poor Elliot was too frozen even to think, she ruffled his chest. “Aw, no. We wouldn’t know what to do with money, since we couldn’t use it for shopping. And if we asked for food we’d get it poison-seasoned.”“Yeah, Uncle Simba was gotten with that trick,” said one of the wolves working on the engine, a wrench in his paw. He shook his head. “Poor guy, but at least he died on a full stomach.”“Lucky one!” a female said as she took the grille. “My brother, Amedeo, he starved to death.”“POOR AMEDEO!” howled the pack, posing like a group of prefiche.Alpha stood up. “You heard her? Last winter was really harsh for us wood critters, and since many preys have sort of joined forces under the flag of an Opener of Ways, we higher predators were left with even less to hunt.”Stevie didn’t like where this was going. But he didn’t dare to ask.Alpha went on. “So we held a special meeting and decided to hold a democratic vote about…borrowing human commodities to make our hard times easier to live.” She wagged her tail, “It went well, we only had one dissension.” She grabbed her necklace, a fine thing made with a long row of wolf teeth. “It was short-lived, though, poor Aleuth.“And so we started this little business of ours. There are so many humans coming and going to and from that prison camp…” She snapped her fingers. “Oh, by the way! Sorry for not asking before: Did you appreciate our little trick? Do you think we should improve it?”Tegan sighed. “It was good enough, for a first time.”Alpha clasped her paws. “Thank you! I worked on that log myself! I wanted to use Aleuth’s fur to make it more realistic, but it would’ve been disrespectful. The blood was deer. We wasted a good hear to make it.”The cat made a face. “That was very thoughtful of you, ma’am.”Alpha squatted in front of Stevie, tapped his brow with a claw. “As for you, we’re going to carry you to our dens, then we’ll strip you of your delicious meat and fur and store you and your bones for the winter. Believe me, no more precious commodity than food. You must agree on that.”The man’s stomach churned. He was fairly sure that if he tried to talk about hunting parties, rescue and the stuff, this beast would likely tear his throat apart.Luckily, it was her who spoke those thoughts aloud. “And there is another reason why we are taking your car apart: they will think that humans used a bunch of trained animals to do their dirty job. They will send cops instead of hunters, thinking of a robbery and not of a well-filled pantry. Oh, and just so you know, we have taken care of the scent tracking problem as well…” she tut-tutted then pressed a paw to her chest. “But how rude of me: I did not introduce myself properly: my name is Boadicea.”---Greene & Verde Attorneys at Law. Terrace High.

“So what do we do now?”Melissa Verde wanted to throw up. She stared the cup of coffee standing in front of her. “I really don’t know, Daniel: I mean, my studies didn’t cover this level of mess.” Her mind went to the phone number associated to the name Butch had typed while in the car. A number associated to a name that didn’t make sense.Daniel sipped half of his coffee –he should see a doctor before tonight, his stomach was already on the way of a caffeine ulcer. “How could that person keep such an activity and such a low profile at the same time? It doesn’t make sense!”Melissa drank some coffee as well. “Even worse, we have a serious conflict of interests here. We cannot work for Lundberg and defend a mad parrot playing the evil overlord. The moment it gets out, and it will, the future Mayor will become radioactive.”“Then we drop the pets,” Daniel said, matter-of-factly.She threw him a cold glance. “Just like that? Goodbye Polly and friends?”Daniel shrugged. “Any better idea? Jameson waived them. They belong to the US authorities for now. No one has claimed them and I am pretty sure no one would want to fight against Uncle Sam to adopt them. Melissa, there are clients who are just black holes: we are taught to forget about them and carry on. We’ll be more useful as legal assistants of Lundberg.” His hand went to the smartphone laying on the desk top. “Anyway, we’ve been given instructions. Just this call, then it’s over. We’re not on TV, my friend: sticking with certain…acquaintances will not give us the status of heroes. And I am not ready to become the lawyer of the criminals.”Melissa’s last hesitation vanished at those words. Much as she cringed at the idea of helping the ‘puppet’, especially after what had happened recently, it was her professional duty to do this call. “Give me the phone.” She reached out and grabbed it. She quickly composed a message with a single word, then sent it. Done! Choke on it, you dirty--They knocked at the door. The feds barged in a moment later.Melissa handed them the phone. “Do what you want with it. And for the record, we call ourselves out.”---“Boadicea. A very human name for such a proud leader,” Mira said.The she-wolf shrugged. “Phht, for what I care about your opinion… Anyway, it’s the only thing I owe to my brother: there are rare pearls of war wisdom among your kind once you start studying them.” She turned to her pack. “Are you done or are you doing a picnic! We have meals to dress, you know! They won’t skin themselves—“ then she turned to Mira. “You won’t? No? Oh well.” She picked up the woman and easily put her on her shoulder. “*Hng*, I was right, you got enough meat on you.”The woman tried to struggle, but the pricks of the claws against her flesh through the clothes suggested otherwise.“Don’t fret it, human. You’ll lose weight.”“Wait!” Stevie shouted. “You can’t do this!”“But we are doing it already,” chuckled a male, then stuffed a rag into the man’s mouth. “Now relax, meat. We won’t be long till home.”“Boadicea!” Mira tried one last time. “The shelter is not a prison! If you’ll just ask, they’ll give you all the food you want for the harsh times. Heck, it’s their policy!”The she-wolf chuckled, and that sound had the most ominous quality. “Us? Begging from humans like tame dogs? You’re funny for being food, you know? Let’s go, guys—““Can’t do, boss,” said a male behind her.Boadicea turned, sighed dramatically. “Now what, Teddy?”The male, teddy, was holding out a severed rope. “Ah, one of them escaped. The stoat.”There followed a prolonged silence, during which the wolves looked at the ropes which had held Gaunt.Boadicea growled horribly, then seemed to compose herself. “Track him down and eat him on the spot. Then I’ll personally add Teddy to the pantry. When I say ‘no witnesses’, it means no witnesses. Questions?”The wolves who weren’t busy with their prey scattered without a word, fast like lightning.“Forgive them,” Boadicea said to Mira, like a mother ashamed of her cubs. “It’s their first time with ropes. Maybe I should’ve spent more time teaching how to tie properly the knots.”“What makes you think we’re sorry Gaunt escaped, you crazy [censored]?”“Oh, dear, I thought you wanted to die as a family, not separated from each other…but sorry, that’s a wolf thing—““Boss! Watch out!!” shouted a female.To her credit, the pack leader was fast to respond. But being loaded with a human hampered her movements. Before she could react, something cracked against her legs! The female yelped, her legs bending under the pain and the weight of Mira.Boadicea tried immediately to get back up, but a solid object connected painfully with her muzzle, eliciting another yelp. Then another blow! And another!And the pack stood her, watching, not daring to humiliate their leader intent on suffering the wrath……of a black-furred stoat. Gaunt stood there, panting, gritting his teeth, a bloodstained branch in his paws. “Tired already, whelp? Come one, there’s more where this came from!”Boadicea wiped her snout with the back of her paw, as she stood on all 4s. “Not finishing me off was your last mistake, insect. The first was to come back.”Stevie, Mira, Elliot, Tegan…they all wanted to scream to gaunt to run away. But they also knew it was pointless, by now.Gaunt underlined that concept, himself. “I shall not abandon my family and my friends, vermin! Now you leave them alone, before I get really mad!”The she-wolf’s answer was her attack! Fast, unannounced, deadly!Mira closed her eyes, wishing she could close her ears as well as she heard...the crunch of wood.The Alpha stood up, her jaws still closed against the branch gaunt had stuck into her mouth. Then, with one single flexing of muscles, she snapped the branch.Boadicea spit out the wood shards. The pack was now getting ready to strike at the humans with their spears.“You got a lot of guts for one so small, I’ll concede that,” Boadicea said. “But you won’t be earning any time for your ‘family’ or your friends. Now, I can kill them all here or at the den and—““And leave an enormous blood tracks for the human to find,” Gaunt grinned.The spears hesitated. The warriors looked at their leader with anxiety –this wasn’t definitely going as planned!Tha Alpha rubbed her temples with one paw. “*sigh* Guys, strangle them. We’ll spoil the entrails, but better than nothing.”Mira looked at Gaunt with all the love she could muster. “You tried. Now run away and tell Stef that we loved her.”Paws started reaching for their preys’ throats—“Please!” said a new voice!All heads snapped up toward the tree from where the new intruder had come. A bird? A human?No.A dark blue-furred specimen of Siberian Husky, a halberd stuck behind his back, standing on a thick branch. He wore a thin blue collar that disappeared in his fur with a tag representing the Grim Reaper’s sheathe. On his shoulders, there were iron pads. “Please, guys, if I must endure a minute more of this psychodrama, I’ll just put a stop it myself. And it will be more fun. Is it a deal?”All spears were turned toward him, the humans and the stoat forgotten.Boadicea decided that she’d spill some blood, at least to save the honor of the pack. “Before you die, arrogant dog, give us your name to pray your soul into the rotting netherworld!”The warrior grinned. “Fair enough. I am Garr.”

Can't wait to read up on it, then! So far behind, but i'm still trying to squeeze more time into reading this fic. Keep up the dedicated work as usual, Val.

_________________3 words - Liquid Metal Fur

Thu Nov 08, 2012 3:06 pm

valerio

Game Master

Joined: Mon May 25, 2009 6:53 amPosts: 15353Location: Italy

Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

5.Fenton Woods, between Terrace High and Babylon Gardens

“I honor your courage, Garr. I am Boadicea, Leader of the Long Winter Pack. Are you ready to fight?” So speaking, the white-furred she-wolf’s senses, on full alert mode, The dark, blue-furred husky standing on the branch nodded. “I am.”There followed a long pause, during which they studied each other.Garr admired the formation of the wolf pack –simply perfect, not one member would get in the way of the other. And the spears could be used without fear of hurting any packmate. Yes, the Alpha had taught them well.Boadicea examined this new intruder. Unlike the stoat a few minutes before, his wasn’t the confidence born out of despair. This Garr was at the same time relaxed and tense, unpredictable.But how good was he?She grinned –heh, just one way to make sure…“Uh, Boss?”“Not now, Teddy,” she said, keeping her eyes on the enemy.Garr jumped!The wolves tensed!The jump carried the blue-black dog in the middle of a group only apparently chosen at random. But just as the wolves attacked, a moment before the dog’s feet met the ground, his right arm flashed toward his back.What followed later was more like a blur than a definite movement. A blur of arcs, impossible to follow if not for the glint of the light on metal.And when the dog was down and squatting, his halberd in his paw…all of the spears nearer to him fell into pieces. “Heh,” said the canine.“Get him!” roared a female, and the pack attacked from all angles, the pack ready to sacrifice their own lives just to get him!Garr could’ve easily maimed and mutilated those fools. Instead, he hit one on the teeth with the base of his spear, sending him tumbling against his packmate. Another grabbed him from behind in a steel-like vise. Garr surprised him by running backward, showing an unexpected strength in doing so! The wolf tumbled down. Garr did not, and used his stomach as support to jump feet first into the chest of another warrior.At this point, all strategies from the pack had been discarded. They attacked confiding in their number only.Garr, using his halberd as a support, rotated and hit two on the snout, not hard enough to KO them, but enough to stun them. And when yet another came at him, the halberd’s staff hit a Very Sensible Spot, eliciting a funny feminine squeak.Two more! From both sides!Garr did something unexpected: he threw up his weapon in the air, just as the ferals were close enough…to be punched in the eyes! And, as the wolves stumbled, temporarily disoriented, the halberd bell back into the dog’s paws. He rotated it so to knock them down in an agile arc!

Boadicea was sincerely admired. It was clear this was an adversary worty of her, she must—“Uh, Boss?” said Teddy from behind her.“Not now, Teddy!” she snarled, her eyes glued at the spectacle. “I’ll eat you later, promise!” Then she let out a sharp bay.The wolves, those still capable of standing, panting, froze. Garr stood in their midst, his halberd held between his paws. And he wasn’t even panting! Instead, he was grinning with a fierce amusement. “Aw, ready to quit already?”Boadicea clapped at him. “Garr, there is more to you than meets the eye. You did well, concede me the honor of delivering your demise.”“Sounds interesting. I’ll humiliate you into Omega Rank, pretty one. To keep living, you’ll have to become a pet for human babies.”Her hackles straightened up as if she were a cat. “I’ll eat you slowly for this.”Garr’s grin assumed an even more ferocious quality. Anyone with a grain of salt would’ve started worrying. A lot.. “Funny: I did eat a lot of enemies in my life. And I’m still hungry.”Boadicea understood that was no bravado. Her eyes widened. “You’re a pet fighter!”“King of Champions Garr, at your service.”Since assuming the role of leader, the she-wolf felt a wave of pure pride washing over her. This was no simple adversary, a well-trained human toy or a hardened stray. This was the Dire Wolf wrapped in a dog body. The ultimate survivor.“I must admit it,” Boadicea said, assuming a fighting stance proper of the martial arts rather than of the wild predator. “You are the first for whom I must use all of myself. Your death will be my glory. My cubs will rule the forests. You will be my Honor, King Garr. I allow you to use your weapons if you wish so.”

Elliot and Tegan looked at the wolves making room for the two canines. Their awe could be almost weighed, it was so thick in the air!Cat and dog exchanged a look. Last time they had met Garr, he was a consultant for action movies at Applegate studios, they had never see him fight. At one point, they had thought his was just boasting…Until today.And if Garr was the real McCoy, this meant that— “Oh!”

Garr had attacked first! He didn’t make the rook mistake of jumping –that would leave too many open angles for her to strike, not to mention it’d give her the time to dodge.Instead, Garr ran, almost bent in two, covering the distance between him and his enemy with a zig-zag-trajectory. Too low for claws. Too unpredictable for kicks. Then just one swipe and—Boadicea jumped! Just before he could swipe his halberd, the she-wolf jumped –and it was a high distance that she covered, before coming down straight at him.Garr knew that she counted on him lifting his weapon to protect himself, together with eyes, ending up blinded by the sun. Instead, the pet fighter lifted his weapon only, ready to give her feet a nice, lethal pedicu—When he felt the weight resting against his halberd, Garr saw that the feral…had landed on the staff, a foot resting on the flat of the blade.Less than a second –all that it took for him to hesitate.And for her to kick him in the face at full force! The wolves cheered with a powerful roar. The prisoners felt their hopes sink below the grass.Garr fell down on his back, blood from his nose and mouth tracing a red arc in the air. He bounced a couple of times on the grass before slamming against a tree.Boadicea grabbed the halberd and walked to him. “Nice weapon. It will make a considerable trophy for my collection, together with your fur.” Almost distractedly, she flexed her considerable muscles and snapped the iron staff in two. The pieces fell down with a clatter. “I’ll offer a piece of you to everyone. Your meat will give us much strength.”Garr sat up, still dazed. Come on, boy! You stood up to mastiffs worse than this glorified deer-killer! Surely you can do better than th—*Hrk!*His other adversaries were brutes with no finesse, no strategy. It had always been a question of who was going to burn out his or her energies first. Garr was able to tire out his adversaries in the ring, not having them exploiting his pauses.And now Boadicea had him by the throat. Literally. Her paw was like a vise.“Honor to you, Garr. Now—“ something grabbed her by the ankles…and tripped her! Taken by surprise – again! – she let go of her prey, and Garr rolled away. He barely made it on his feet, wheezing and coughing, his vision clouded –luckily, he had been worse than this, once or twice. Just needed a couple of minutes…Boadicea’s first thought about that new interference went to that meddling stoat, but when she turned she didn’t meet Gaunt.She saw a cat. A female, fur as grey as iron, broken by white from her stomach to the tip of her nose. She was holding out in her paw…a red ball of yarn. The same yarn that was tightly wrapped around the she-wolf’s ankles. 王様の影 -ソックスA moment later, the epic words written with yarn in front of her unfolded and went back into the ball. “Allow me to introduce myself, if you can’t read,” the cat said in the coolest tone. “I am The King’s Shadow: Socks.”Boadicea was more worried for losing her face with that pathetic trick. She took mental note of those who were giggling to make herself some new steak… “King’s Shadow?”“’Boydguard’, if you want to. Our duty is to assist the King in the direst moment.”This time, even the she-wolf grinned as she ripped the cotton fiber and stood up. “With a ball of yarn? You pets have the strangest customs.”The cat was unfazed. She just said, “With Yarn Magic.” Then she tossed the ball in the air. “Go get.”“DIE!” Alpha dashed toward her prey.The ball of yarn seemed to explode! A moment later, a cobweb of scarlet ropes wrapped the she-wolf…and Boadicea discovered she wasn’t able to rip the fiber, this time! “But what the..?!” And the more she fought the more resistance she met.“Bloody Tendrils,” Socks said. “They absorb your blood. Become stronger as you become weaker… But you must have noticed that, by now. Surrender now, and you may leave in peace with your people. Or suffer the consequences.”“She won’t do that!” boomed a familiar voice. “You release her, witch, or the stoat dies!”Seriously weakened, Boadicea turned her head, toward… “Teddy..?”The wolf was holding his claws against Gaunt’s throat. “Boss, I was trying to tell you! We got a hostage!” Then, to Socks and Garr. “When you fight one of us, you fight all of us, cat! Leave our leader alone, or you lose your precious friend. And perhaps more will follow!” In fact, at that moment, the other wolves were ready to do the same with the humans and the pets.Socks reflected over that for a moment, then, “And what guarantees do we have that you won’t kill them anyway?”“My…word,” Boadicea said, panting, at the limit of her strength. “Let us go. We leave in peace. You get away.” A moment later, the yarn abandoned her body, leaving behind a macabre pattern over her fur. Boadicea barely made it to stand on her knees.“Boss!” Teddy said, letting go of Gaunt and running to support her. The other wolves cut the ropes and walked to the couple. “Boss, you okay?” Teddy asked.She gave him a weak smile. “I think so… Heh, looks like I owe you. Good job here…” She coughed. She felt cold for the blood loss. “Looks like I wasn’t a good leader after all…”The male helped her up on her feet –whatever the situation, a pack leader was not supposed to leave a place being dragged away, unless dead! “Don’t say it, boss, it’s not your fault if that cat cheated with some magic tricks. Next time, we’ll get our revenge.” He threw a glance at their enemies. “Don’t follow us, or not even the witch will save you.” And with that, a rear group making sure they were left alone, the pack walked away into the deeper forest.Gaunt ran to his human relatives. “Oh, grands! You are safe, you are safe!” he didn’t tell anything else but those words while they held him in a protective hug.Elliot looked at Socks with awe mixed with fanatical admiration. “She’s a supah like a Golden Saint! I want her kitten--*OWIE!* he whined when a powerful fist hit his ribs.“You don’t dare to say that again, mister!” Tegan hissed, then turned and gave him her back. “Or I’ll start considering that handsome Garr as my next boyfriend! Tss, you never kicked a wolf’s tail in your life!”Mira picked up Gaunt in her arms. Stevie said, “Not that we’re ungrateful, guys, but…” he rubbed his temple. “No, skip the question, I’m not sure I’d like the answers. May we at least know what you were doing here, of all places? Do you come from the future? Are you from some parallel world? Is this a manga-crossover? And don’t start with the ‘we were just passing by’ routine!”Garr and Socks exchanged a puzzled look. “Well…” the dog pointed in the direction of the LCG. “In a way, we were passing by: we have learnt two old friends of ours, a former King by the name of Alvaro and his Shadow, are at the Grove. We could escort you there, since, well…” the husky’s thumb went to what was left of the van.Stevie started weeping at the sight, fully realizing the loss. He walked to the skeleton of the van and started cooing to it, as if he had lost his best friend.Mira shook her head. “We spent a lot of time together with that girl,” she said. “Sometimes I think he loved her more than the rest of the family… Well, anyway, I guess you two are welcome to join us. Lucky us, we’re used to travel by feet after all.” The first thing the wolves had done was to take and destroy the phones, so that there was no risk of being GPSed.Garr picked up what was left of his weapon. “Yeah, I can understand him. Socks, do you have any magic left for my baby?”The cat sighed. “Next time, pick up a smith.” A small piece of iron-grey yarn appeared in her paw. Then the fabric went and wrapped itself around the broken pieces, soon turning into a sturdy part of the staff itself!“Wow!” Elliot said, wagging like an overexcited puppy. “How many cool things can you do with yarn?!”Socks shook her head. “Just the ones the situation requires. It’s…complicated.”The group started walking along the road. “I am a fast learner!” Elliot yapped. “Can you spin a web? Can you reach the farthest reaches of the cosmos? Can you do a barrier? Can you make a shirt? Can you….”

The scrapped remains of Stevie and Mira Oakfield’s van were placed on the tow truck. Like any other vehicle belonging to the Shelter, the truck was painted with a pastel blue with the golden LCG logo and heart-shaped paw.“You said that they did this in just one hour?” the shelter’s Chief Engineer, asked, scratching his head. “Forgive me for saying so, but I wish those wolves worked for me. Only Itsuki can be so fast, although less messy.”“Do you think you can fix her, Mr. Sandwich?” Stevie asked, without hiding his anguish.“Just Earl, please. But yes, I can bring back to shape in a week. Of course, it’s on us.”“Oh, but it’s insured,” Stevie said, although he remembered with a fondness the days he and Mira went to the scrapyard to get the pieces. ‘Old Nessie’, as the siblings liked to call her, had been completely rebuilt during the years.“Nonsense,” Earl said. “Insurance will drain your life drop by drop if you show her such an extensive damage. But, since you were on the way to the Shelter to visit family, we’ll cover the damage. A token of hospitality, courtesy of Uncle Martin.”“Who?”“Mr. Foster.”“Oh. And, I imagine, a token to encourage people to visit and hopefully adopt.”“Sue him.”“I won’t. I already have enough trouble as it is.” While they walked to the truck, he proceeded to expose his and his sister’s pending sentence with Judge York.“I know the woman,” Earl said, opening the driver’s door. “She’ll make you dance just to make sure you capeesh your lesson. But I’m sure she’ll give you a green light. Now, sorry, but I got a patient to take care of. And you have the law to talk to.” His gaze pointed behind Stevie, who turned as the door closed.“The law..?” he muttered. Hadn’t he just given a detailed report about—“Oh.”His eyes met the jaw and sunglasses of Bill Lindberg, Director of the shelter. Until that moment, his presence had almost gone unnoticed. Now he was looking at Stevie with an intensity that not even his eyeglasses could hide. “A word, Mr. Oakfield.”Stevie didn’t even notice the truck getting away. “Uhm, about what?”“About your deposition. You said that this gal, Boadicea, had learnt certain tricks thanks to her brother, right?”Stevie nodded. “And she got her name from history books her brother owned, or so I understood. Who is Boadicea, exactly, to take her name? I mean, apart from being some ancient tough woman.” He hoped his sister would never hear of those words, she was a bit sensitive about feminism.“The last Celtic Queen, she used to open many cans of kick-butt for the Romans, until she was betrayed and defeated. A natural-born leader. This wolf knew what to choose, and it’s not a name you pick on a baby names internet site.”“So, do you have an idea about who is her brother?”Bill nodded, as his face turned in the direction of Babylon Gardens. “Yes, although I hope I am not right on this… But I think I held you here long enough, Sir. Now take the bus and go visit your daughter, I am sure she’s missing you a lot.”“You can say that again… But are you sure there is no trace of our captors? Sorry for asking, but—““Don’t be. And no, they just disappeared. Their scent was mixed with herbal essences, and then that too disappeared completely. They’re really good.”“Forgive me if that does not make me feel better.”Bill slapped his back. “Don’t worry. From what you said, they should be smart enough not to try that trick again. Now let’s go back to the Grove: your daughter must be anxious to see you.”Stevie got in the car. “I’m not in a hurry, Sir,” he said to the manly chin. “Stefanie has others…priorities right now.”---Lucky Charm Grove for the Abandoned and the Ferals

“MAMA!” One could hardly imagine a stoat roaring like an angry lion, but Gaunt was livid with the sum of all rage right now. What should’ve been his first visit to his Mom since leaving her at the shelter had turned out to be his most dangerous adventure ever. And that, combined with his anxiety over Stefanie’s destiny, had fueled him like a Juggernaut. “Whoever is keeping my Mama prisoner here better lemme see here now! MAMA!” A concept to be taken literally: he was easily dragging with him the two orderlies who were trying to hold to his legs and tail. Tubes and sensor lines would hang from his arms and chest, as did two empty syringes that were supposed to sedate him. “I am not a lab-test specimen, I won’t ‘take a nap’, I won’t stay calm until I see—“ he stopped abruptly just a few feet from the exit of the Emergency Ward.She was there: pure white and perfect black, with just a speckle of white over her black velvet ears. A bandit black mask couldn’t hide the softness of her blue eyes. And despite all of his fears, she looked even better than when last they had been together.The orderlies, two sturdy men who had had experience in dealing with enraged dogs as big as bears, let him go when Gaunt jumped free and straight into the arms of the husky. “Mama!” he shouted, this time with his usual merry squeaky voice. He buried himself into her fur, almost purring with joy.“Aw, my little Gaunt!” Stefanie said.“Oh, Mamy, I missed you so mucho!” his eyes were filled with tears. He fought to gulp them down, trying to be brave with her. “D-did they treat you well? Are they giving you some time out of the cell? Is the food decent?” He sniffed deeply the arms he was almost disappearing into. “At least they are keeping you clean, the brutes. I hope they’re not using hoses, or I’I’ll—“ he was interrupted by a series of strokes along his back.“Oh, you silly boy,” she cooed. “I was never treated so good in my life. In fact, this whole place is like living in a pet-friendly community.”Gaunt leaned against her fluffy chest. “Honest?” He asked, yet with some hesitation in his voice.Stefanie nodded. “You’ll see. I’ll introduce you to my friends and to the humans who assisted me during these months.”Gaunt scowled. “’Assisted’, like in ‘passed you the food and drugs through the cage mesh’?”She laughed, this time, then poked his nose with a claw. “I guess I’ll have to show you my ‘cage’ then, first things first. Let’s go.”---There wasn’t a free corner in the whole structure. Not an apparatus left unused. The smell of cats, dogs and other animals keeping in shape was overpowering. The whole place sounded and smelled like the training rooms of the finest arenas of old days... Though with a substantial difference: there, you knew that each one of the trainees was destined to be your enemy. There were no alliances, no partnerships in a Pet Fight Club.Here, there were only animals venting energies, playing with their toys, fighting mock fights in good fun—“Aaaah!” a moment later, something landed hard in front of the black-blue husky and the grey cat accompanying him.That something was a mastiff mix. Male, big specimen, strong.Not enough.“Thought you too wanted a sparring partner, loser,” said the dog from the ring. An entirely black husky, his body covered with the scars of his countless battles, his right ear tip clipped. His red eyes were fixed on the newcomer as he said with a smirk, “I also softened him a bit, don’t say I’m not generous.”“Good to see you again, too, Alvaro big brother.”“How you doing, Garr li’l bro? Still pretending to be a fighter?” He then waved at the cat. “Ciao, Socks: I guess it’s thanks to you if he’s still in one piece.”The first husky walked to the ring, his blue eyes fixed on his older brother’s ring, a silver thing hanging from his neck through a thin golden chain. “Just as Brajeres is doing her job keeping you alive, smartmouth.” He feigned to look around. All around them, the others had stopped their activities, perceiving the tension, many one getting excited. “I see that you still must get a life. Planning to get old in this place?”The older brother growled. “Watch it, Garr: Don’t forget who used to kick your tail.”Garr jumped into the ring. He crackled his knuckles. “Do you mean tried to kick my tail, Alvaro? The only blows you ever laid on me were of the ‘lucky’ category. While I see you kept collecting scars. What’s up, getting slower?”Both dogs assumed a fighting stance. Alvaro grinned. “I got stronger, while you, without your precious halberd, are the half of what you used to be. And there wasn’t much to start with. Look at yourself: not a single medal on your body, you still look like a pampered, groomed son of human. Did you win your fights by running away screaming and tiring your adversaries?”All around the ring, guests were fighting to get the best positions. The smaller creatures had decided to climb up the taller ones and get their privileged seats.“Wanna see?” Garr grinned. Inwardly, though, he cursed the human security staff for taking his shoulder pads and his halberd. He’d feel less naked without his collar!Alvaro roared and attacked. His tactic was as much foreseeable as deadly, in a ring: charging like a bull, he offered himself as an easy target. At that point, either you dodged him or you tried to stop him –and, in a ring, you couldn’t rely on the second option, not when your only option was to win and live for another fight—Impact! The impromptu spectator gasped and tensed…then abandoned the scene between comments of disappointment and ripped betting tickets.“AHAHAHAHAHA…NO! No, don’t you dare, not there you cheater! You’ll–ahahaha-pay for this!”Garr was on top of Alvaro, storming his body with dexterous…tickling fingers. He was also grinning triumphantly. “Told ya you couldn’t get me big bro.”“Males,” Socks commented, shaking her head. At her side, there was a marbled polecat intent on mimicking her pose and gestures.“He’s going to stop soon,” Brajeres said.In fact, at that very moment, Alvaro hit Garr with a powerful fist and sent him tumbling down. “Told ya you tend to be overconfident, little bro.” Alvaro stood up and brushed his fur. “So, how you to doing at Applegate Studios?”“Not good. Our main contractor has…had a health issue, as of recently. The Production canceled the movie, and our contract went into the drain with it. Socks and I left before they discovered that our papers had been forged with her Yarn Magic.”Alvaro grinned. “Ohh, so wonder pup got off his pedestal and came begging for a scrap of food from the mighty humans?”Garr’s eyes narrowed. “Watch it…”Alvaro sat on the edge of the ring. “That was your problem since you started training: you’re spoiled. You don’t want to get blood on your paws, that’s why you specialized with staffs. Since you were the only one doing so, you were also enough interesting for our masters to allow you to get to the top with weapons. And once at the top, as King of Champions, the number of fights decreased. Small sacrifice for an easier life.”Garr sat down next to his brother. “So? Better than keep fighting and fighting at every occasion, even when you could’ve avoided it. You rose to the top faster than me, but to what cost?”“The cost of being alive, my own way,” Alvaro chuckled. “When I became King in my circuit, the humans were afraid even to introduce their fighters to me. Plus, my master made tons of money only by owning me only. He had every interest in keeping me alive as long as I made him famous. Just as we had both planned, little bro.”The two dogs bumped fists. “Are you going to stay here, now?” Alvaro asked.Garr nodded. “Until I find myself a real family. Just like you too planned, right?”Alvaro nodded. “Enough with wandering, dear. I want my chance to a pampered life, and this place has a reputation for finding the best families...” He frowned. “But how did you find me? I don’t remember booking an appointment with you here.”The other husky’s tail wagged. “That’s why I—“ he stopped when he heard a discrete cough “Socks suggested we got a job. We needed time to rest and search for you in the system. I hoped you had ended up in a shelter when I heard your circuit had been busted, but of course animals for adoption are not listed as ex-pet fighters.”“And you hadn’t thought of looking for me under my codename, right?”Garr blushed. “Hey, I would still remember your birth name and looked out for that… Err, your eyes and your fangs tell me you didn’t really disclose that. Did you?”Alvaro’s claws flexed like a cat’s. His voice assumed the iciest, deadliest tone. “You try to, I make me a new rug for my room.”Garr gulped. “Crystal, boss… But say, hold it a moment there!”The threatening expression turned to a sheepish grin. “Err, yes?”Garr stared at the red eyes. “What you said before… You knew where I was and what I—“ *cough* “we were doing!”Alvaro fiddled with his fingers. “Hmm, yush?”“And why the heck didn’t you try and contact us?! I was worried sick about you!”“Err…cuzIdidn’twantyoutoendupinashelterlikeme? Ow!” that came when he got a slap behind his head. Massaging the offended area, Alvaro said, “You’re lucky I deserved it, whelp.”Garr then hugged his brother tight. “Just promise me we won’t be separated again. Ever!”The other black husky returned the hug. “We won’t be if you don’t want to: it’s a policy of this shelter that mates and siblings don’t get separated if they don’t want to –something to do with the boss’ experience with his first pets taken from a shelter.” The older husky stood up. “Now let’s go, I better show you around. Were you assigned a room, yet?”“Not yet, for now I am only a visitor with forged papers. Think they’ll get mad at me for that?”“They’ve had worse, don’t worry. And now one of them works as Security.”“Really?” Garr blnkied.Alvaro nodded, this time smiling. “This is a cool place, you’ll like it here. Just watch out for that tummy of yours.” He poked at Garr’s belly. “You can get fat really fast, here.”“That explains the activity. Anyone I should avoid?” A question that would come easily to any PF, former or not.Alvaro nodded. “There is one weird guy. No joking, he’s unpredictable and dangerous, like the Joker.”“Remember the guy. I ate his heart. Tough like his hide.”His big brother raised an eyebrow. “Really? Now you’re making me proud! But this guy may be even worse. Name’s—“

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Last edited by valerio on Sun Sep 29, 2013 1:31 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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